Wordless Wednesday

Beauty is in the Eyes of the Beholder

We went to the beach to collect treasures. I LOVED how different we all automatically viewed the task of collecting special rocks.

Mommy collected mostly black smooth rocks with an occasional white one tossed in. I LOVE the feel of smooth rocks and I know from experience that the black ones are the best.

Daddy disagreed and set out to find himself a rainbow.

Ellie has always loved rocks so it came as no surprise to me that she collected too many to carry and had a hard time narrowing it down to just enough rocks to fit into her hand.

Addie went a completely different route and decided that rocks are over rated. She collected seashells instead.

Everyone has their own definition of what makes a treasure. Life is beautiful.

Time in a Bottle

If it was possible, I'd take the trip we just finished and store the memories into a bottle, place it up on a shelf to proudly display for all to see. Alas, memories don't work that way do they?

Lavender

They say that a particular scent can trigger a memory better than anything else. If that's true, then no doubt I will think of our first little family trip every time I smell lavender from here on out. Sometimes the best part of a vacation are the small things you stumble upon without expecting it. Who knew that there was a lavender festival going on? We certainly did not, but as soon as we heard about it we also knew it was a MUST.

And I am so glad we went! We had lavender ice cream and lavender cookies. We bought lavender soap, lavender lotion, lavender pouches and teddy bears stuffed with lavender. We even grabbed a bottle of lavender steak rub that we're quite curious about.

The best part, aside from the fact that I now LOVE the smell of lavender, is that we now have a set of unexpected WONDERFUL photos that almost look as though we snuck away to Provence. LOVE. LOVE. LOVE.

Please excuse me as I obsess about lavender for the years to come. This is a memory worth keeping forever.

Orcas on the Left!

It's impossible to visit the Northwest without trying to see the whales! And we were lucky to see a small pod of transient orcas. Ellie was super excited the entire time, and LOVED to see the whales, birds and seals. This girl is becoming quite a fun companion. Addie, on the other hand, well she took her nap the entire time. It might have been the most expensive nap she's ever spent, but the girl was tired! She did so well on the trip, never having a real nap. She tried so hard to stay awake for everything but sometimes you just have to give in and close your eyes even if just for a couple minutes... or an hour.

First Little Family Trip

By now you have seen bits and pieces of our first little family trip. What do I mean by that? We took the girls on a vacation, where we didn't have to visit any extended family members! I know that may sound strange, but given the fact that we have 4 sets of grandparents to split our vacation time, you can imagine how quickly 3 weeks of vacation vanishes. This year we made it a priority to start our own little family traditions, with just the girls and ourselves. We started having monthly date nights where we do something fun together with the family, and then have 1:1 dates with the girls. And... We went on our FIRST family vacation. Whoop! Whoop! It felt good!

We decided to take the girls up to Washington state and I have to say that it was REALLY fun to travel with these two. I am enjoying being a parent more and more, and it makes my heart sing that we have started to create our own little family traditions.

Mr. Dude

I giggle a little every time Addie says "Hello Mr. Dude!" or "Goodbye Mrs. Dude!" She does it because she knows that it makes people laugh, but oh is it super cute!

Butchart Gardens

I would be lying if I said I was a huge fan of gigantic manicured gardens, but this one proved me wrong. The sunken gardens was the part that really did me in. They turned an old quarry into the most magnificent gardens, almost as though it came straight out of a fake movie CGI. It was absolutely beyond words. If only the photos would do it justice. And if only the girls would sit long enough for us to soak it all in. Someday I will return to Victoria and spend more time here.

International Travelers

Wordless Wednesday

Ellie's Treasure

The girls have learned to show me their favorite treasures whenever we go to a store or are out exploring. While at the Lavender festival, Ellie made it a point to show me this. Sigh. Of all the things she could have chosen??? This girl has a heart of gold.

For the Love of Water

Ellie: Sometimes I think I should just marry the water.

Well said. Well said.

Saying Goodbye

I love how much my girls enjoyed meeting our friends. I was impressed with how open their hearts were.

Auto Correct

Ellie got a hold of my phone and created a story...

can years ago and I have a lot of people you tell who are not the only way l and the other hand w Bush administration has been the most important thing to do with the same time as the first time in the world is a great deal of the most important thing to do with the qqq and a half years ago quite a bit of the most important thing is that the government of Canada and the other hand and the other hand and the other hand and the other hand and the other hand and the other hand and a half years ago Linux and Windows server is a great deal of the most important thing is that the government q and a half years ago and it was a great deal of the me what you are a few

Exciting announcement FAIL

So far this summer we have traveled by car, bus, train and plane. I decided it would be fun to announce what we would be doing next.

Mommy: Ellie, we have been I'm a car, bus, train and plane this summer. Guess what is that one more of transportation we still haven't done but will do tomorrow! ?

Ellie: Helicopter!

Uhhhh... no sorry. It's just a boat.

Only two choices

Ellie: do you want to be a princess?
Grumpy Girl: NOOO!
Ellie: Ummm OK... so you want to be a prince then?

Catching a bit of magic

Are they fireflies or fairies in disguise?